JewCal Privacy Policy
Summary
JewCal is a native Hebrew-calendar, zmanim, and reminder app for iPhone, iPad, and Android. Most features use data stored on your device; Supporter Yahrzeits and online calendars can update when you are connected. JewCal has no accounts, advertising, usage tracking, crash reporting, or billing. The internet connections JewCal makes are explained below.
Data kept on your device
JewCal stores the information needed to provide its features on your device, using app storage and platform-secure storage as appropriate:
- calendar events, calendars, and reminder choices that you create or import;
- display, language, Israel or Diaspora, zmanim, and notification settings;
- an optional saved place name, coordinates, and time zone used for zmanim and reminders;
- online-calendar addresses and any optional passphrases you save for them.
This information is used only by JewCal on your device. We do not receive a copy of it.
Supporter Yahrzeits updates
JewCal includes a copy of Supporter Yahrzeits inside the app, so that calendar is available without internet. While Supporter Yahrzeits is turned on, JewCal checks for an updated copy when the app starts or when the phone allows a background check. These checks normally happen no more than once every six hours. Turning the calendar on starts a check right away. Turning it off stops future Supporter Yahrzeits checks.
When JewCal checks, GitHub Pages can see the address your phone uses on the internet (called an IP address), when it checked, which calendar file it asked for, information needed to connect safely, and the app name JewCal/1. JewCal sends no personal calendar data, saved location, settings, account number, cookies, usage-tracking ID, or advertising ID.
The update file is currently kept on JewCal.org through GitHub Pages. GitHub runs that service and may keep connection records, including IP addresses, for security. Details are in the GitHub Privacy Statement.
Calendars added from other websites
If you add a calendar using a web address, JewCal checks that address right away and then about every six hours. Checks continue while the calendar is hidden; hiding it only hides its entries. The website you chose, and any website it sends JewCal to, can see the same information about the check listed above. Each website handles its connection records under its own privacy rules.
An optional calendar passphrase is stored in the platform's secure storage and used on your device to open the downloaded file. JewCal never sends the passphrase to the website. Downloaded calendar contents are stored in JewCal on your device. JewCal does not send the website your personal calendars, saved location, settings, account number, cookies, usage-tracking ID, or advertising ID.
Location
Location is optional. You may select a city from JewCal's bundled offline catalog, or grant location permission after you choose Automatic. JewCal uses the selected location to calculate zmanim, candle-lighting times, and reminders.
Manual city searches, time-zone lookup, and nearest-city matching happen entirely on your device; search text is not sent anywhere. Automatic location refreshes through the phone's location service while JewCal is open, normally when the app starts or returns to the foreground. On Android, Google Play services may help provide the location. On iPhone and iPad, Apple provides it; if JewCal has no nearby city in its built-in list, Apple's place-name service may also find the place name and time zone.
If an automatic foreground location shows that you entered or left Jerusalem, JewCal may post a local notification asking whether you want to use a 40- or 18-minute candle-lighting setting. After onboarding, JewCal changes that setting only when you choose the change. JewCal does not request background location or send your saved location during calendar update checks.
Notifications and alarms
JewCal requests notification permission only after you choose reminders. It uses Android alarms or Apple local notifications to schedule event, holiday, prayer, candle-lighting, and Jewish-day reminders, as well as the optional Jerusalem candle-lighting question described above. Notification text is generated on your device.
Import, export, backup, and sharing
JewCal reads calendar files only when you select a file to import. It creates or shares an export only when you choose that action. Every .jewcal calendar export is encrypted with the passphrase you choose and can contain event titles, dates, descriptions, and reminder details. Once you save or share an export, the destination app, service, or recipient handles that copy under its own practices.
A full JewCal backup contains app settings, the saved location name, coordinates and time zone, calendars, events, and reminder choices. Every backup is protected with the passphrase you choose. JewCal creates or restores a backup only after you explicitly choose the file. Export and backup passphrases are not sent to JewCal and cannot be recovered by JewCal. You control where the files are stored and who can access them.
This website and email
JewCal.org is a static website hosted through GitHub Pages. When you visit the site or download a file, GitHub may receive your IP address, browser and device information, the requested page or file, and connection information. GitHub handles that information under the GitHub Privacy Statement.
If you email JewCal support or send a feature request, we receive your email address, message, and any attachments you include and use them to respond to you. Your email provider and ours process that message under their own privacy terms.
Data sharing
JewCal does not sell, rent, or share your personal calendar data for advertising, profiling, or usage tracking. Outside services are limited to the calendar websites, GitHub Pages, email providers, and optional Apple or Google location services explained above.
Retention and deletion
Local data remains on your device until you delete it in JewCal, clear JewCal's storage where the phone provides that option, or uninstall the app. Removing an online calendar also deletes the password saved for it. Calendar and backup files that you saved or shared must be deleted from the place where you put them. JewCal keeps no account or uploaded copy of your personal calendars, location, or settings.
GitHub and websites chosen for online calendars control how long they keep connection records and how those records can be deleted. See each website's privacy information for details.
Changes and contact
We may update this policy when JewCal's data practices change. The effective date above identifies the current version.
Questions: help@jewcal.org